Page 84 of Icebound Hearts

I suck in a breath through my teeth as the guy hurtles toward Sawyer like a freight train and Sawyer tenses up, ready to head him off. But the center changes direction abruptly, trying to slip by Sawyer’s left side. Sawyer pivots to follow him, but he’s so focused on the center that he doesn’t see the Cyclones’ left winger streaking up right behind him, making a beeline for Sawyer as he tries to chase the center down.

Sawyer is just about to reach out to intercept the puck when the Cyclones’ left winger collides with him, slamming him so hard into the boards from behind that Sawyer’s helmet flies off and goes spinning across the ice. The two of them go down together. Sawyer takes the brunt of it when he hits the ice first, followed by the Cyclones player crashing down onto him. A collective gasp rips through the crowd, and Jake throws himself at me.

“Daddy!” he quavers, sounding on the verge of tears.

I want to believe Sawyer is okay, but the way he crunched against the boards was so loud and forceful that the entire arena heard it.

My heart climbs into my throat, pounding furiously and making it difficult to breathe, but I try not to let it show while I hug Jake and rub his back. The refs blow on their whistles, stopping the game, and streak toward Sawyer with medics right behind them.

The arena turns so quiet that I can hear my own heart pounding while the medics examine both Sawyer and the Cyclones’ left winger.

The Cyclones player gets up first, to small cheers and applause from the crowd, but Sawyer stays on his back until the medics hoist him up from under his arms to get him back on his feet to a deafening roar from the audience. He’s injured, but he can at least still skate with some help.

The Aces coach meets Sawyer at the entrance to their box where he makes the call to pull Sawyer from the rest of the game. Although there’s some scattered groaning, everyone still cheers for Sawyer as he leaves the ice. I’m shocked they don’t penalize the Cyclones’ left winger for checking Sawyer from behind like that, and I press my lips together as play resumes.

“Is Daddy gonna be okay?” Jake asks, sounding worried. I rub his back gently.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, bud. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten knocked around, and he’s a tough guy.”

Jake doesn’t seem convinced, and I don’t want him to worry or pick up on how worried I am either, so I smile at him and give him a sideways hug.

“They would’ve taken him into the back if he was badly hurt,” I assure him.

“Yeah,” Jake agrees quietly.

My stomach twists, and although the Aces manage to score twice in quick succession, I can barely focus on the game. My eyes keep drifting to the bench where Sawyer sits watching from the sidelines. He’s visibly in pain, but he’s either doing a good job of hiding how bad it is or not as injured as I originally feared. But still, I’m worried about him.

The game ends with an Aces win, 3-0, but I don’t even care about that. I hustle Jake into the family and friends lounge, holding his hand and trying not to squeeze it too hard as we both wait anxiously.

Finally, after what feels like an eternity of sitting on pins and needles, Sawyer makes his way into the lounge. He grins whenhe sees us, but the smile turns to a wince with the next step he takes. He avoids putting all of his weight on the side where the Cyclones’ player checked him, favoring the other side instead as he walks toward us.

Jake releases my hand and dashes forward to throw himself at Sawyer. “Daddy!”

Amazingly, Sawyer catches him and hoists him up onto his hip, although he makes a pained face at the motion. They hug each other, and Jake squeezes Sawyer tightly around his neck, which makes Sawyer wince again. I walk over to them, wrestling with the urge to wrap my arms around Sawyer myself. But I can’t do that here, and I don’t want to give away more than we already might have tonight, so I stop in front of him and give him a shaky smile.

“How bad is the damage?”

Sawyer shrugs and winces again. “I’ll be alright. I’ve definitely been through worse.”

Before I can ask him for more details, Reese enters the lounge. He spots Callie first as if his gaze is magnetically drawn in her direction, his face lighting up at the sight of her. He sweeps her into his arms for a kiss before turning toward me, his arm still draped around her shoulders.

“Hey, sis! How about that game, huh?”

“I’m glad you won. It definitely kept us on the edge of our seats,” I say, my stomach still a bit unsettled from the massive adrenaline dump earlier.

Jake nods and puts one arm around Sawyer’s neck again. “I’m just glad my dad’s okay.”

Reese scowls. “You and me both, little man. That was a super dirty check from the Cyclones. I can’t believe the refs didn’t give him a penalty for it.”

We chat for a few more minutes about the game as Reese keeps an arm wrapped around Callie. Then the two of them getpulled away into a conversation with Maxim and Grant, leaving me alone with Sawyer and Jake again.

“We’d better get you to bed, mister,” I tell Jake as he rubs his eyes.

He’d never admit it, but the poor kid is probably exhausted after all of this excitement. Sawyer sets him down, wincing and grunting in the process, and smiles at me as Jake slips his hand into mine.

“I’ll take him home,” I tell Sawyer.

He nods, holding my gaze. “I’ll be right behind you,” he murmurs.

---